Jack-block and car-wheel clamp



C. E. RODGERS.

JACK BLOCK AND CAR WHEEL CLAMP.

APPLICATION FILED Aua.25, 1920.

1,391,979 PatentedSept. 27, 1921.

7 A EYE-5 GZJQ 'M may be replaced in a few minutes while the:

v bearing replaced- By such practice not only EMTA i crorn shamans, or LoGANsroRirfmnIAN Aa JACK- 13L063 sep ratism-E1. 'emmr,-, I

To all whom it may concern: Y

'Be it known that I, CLoIn E. Romans," a'citiien of the United States, residing at ing is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing; My invention relates to improvements in run engaging dev1ces,' ack'blocks and car wh'ecl'clamps for holding the wheel of a car whilejacking up the journal or axle box to remove, renew orv replace the ournal bearings or brasses. r

My invention has for its object a device whereby the bearingmembers or brasses carsare on the right of way. Uiide rthe old method of replacing a brass the wheel and axle were held against movement by, blocking and then the bearing wasrelieyed of the weight of the car by blocking and jacking between the ground and thecar body. This was the usual method in vogue before a car was in conditionto have the considerable time was required, butfthe workmen were subjected to continual danger bybeing beneath the car when blocking it up, besides the additional'danger of the blocking giving way during the operation of replacing the bearing.

To obviate said difficulties 1 have evolved a simple form of wheel clamp th'at'virtually eliminates blocking. Said clamp has a bearing: portion and a wheel engaging portion adjustablewith respect to the bearing portion so that the bearing portion may, bedisposed in a substantially horizontal plane substantially parallel to the axle ofthe' car for receiving a lifting means, and the wheel engaging: portion positioned to engage the flange or'ball of wheels of different types. When so positioned the lifting means, such as a jack, is placed upon the bearing portion and its head brought up into position beneath the journal box or truck frame and the weight of the car acting downwardly through the jack bears upon the bearing portion and thus exerts a force upon the clamp to maintain the wheel against move ment on the rail and more part cularly from raising from the track when the body of the car is raised. When the bearing has been i Specificationef Letters Patent.

' 3+3 of Fi with car wheel rims and the like. the outer end of the housing 3, and on both Patented Sept; 21 1921 "Application ma; Augusta, i520. sardine. 465,587.

relieved of the weightof the car it may .be

readily replacedfi i 1 The invention is further designed to provide a wheel clamp whichisdisposed at the sideof the railway car whereby it is not necessary to go beneath the cartin using the device and the liabilityfor accident thus avoided;

' "The iwention is further designed to provid a new and improved form of wheel clamp wh ch when used with a lifting device PIOVIClBS anV-efiicient means for lifting a vehicle body or'member carried bythe vehicle from its wheels and axle or its frame.

The invention" is further designed to provide a new and improved form of wheel clamp.

In the accompanying drawings:

,Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the device in operation;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantiallyon line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig; 3 is a-detail'vertical section on line 1, looking in the direction of the arrowsi M The same reference characters denote like parts in each of the severalfigures of the drawing. i

the base-plate 1, which is rectangular. in

form, and which may be made of any suitable material, but preferably of metal.

Said base-plate 1 provides a substantial" bearing' area over which the force of the load. may be distributed and is of a width which enables it to be used between two ties if desired. i ]A handle 2 is detachably secured to the base-plae 1 adjacent one end thereof. An inverted U-shaped housing 3,

having itstop inclined rearwardly is de tachably secured adjacent the other end of said base-plated. At the inner end of said housing 3 isdetachablysecured a bare, which is pivotally mounted within said housing 3, and, projects outwardly therefrom with notches 5 in the under surface adwe j acent the outer end thereof for engagement sides thereof, is provided a plurality of. apertures 6 in vertical alinement which are disposed in pairs in horizontal alinement for Near a to maintain the bar 4 againstmovement with respect to the housing 3 and base-- plate 1 in various positions of adjustment.

A flexible connection, such as achain 8, is secured to the pin 7, and to one of the securing means of the housing 3; said secur-- mg means being of the ordlnary bolt and nut construction.

' body 11, for receiving a rack bar12, having a head 13. A lever 1 1 which coacts with the The means for lifting the weight .ofthe car from the axle A, is a lifting jack 9, which comprises a base 10, and a tubular rack bar 12 is provided to raise or lower the latter. Said jack 9 simply rests on the base-plate 1, so that it may be movedto various positions upon the base-plate 1; to accommodate "different constructions of cars as the truck frame and axle of different types of cars extend outwardly at difierent distances from the wheels. However, with the present construction, the usual lifting jack provided by the railroads may be used.

With the construction above described when it is desired to replace a brass in an axle box B, all that is necessary is to place the wheel clamp device in position adjacent the side of the car wheel W, and so that its supportingportion is in a substantially horizontal plane. Then the, bar 4 is moved up into engagement with the ball of the wheel W and locked in this position. The lifting jack 9 is then placed at the desired position upon the base-platel, and the rack bar 12 elevated to bring the head 13 thereof up into engagement with. a portion of the axlebox B mounted on the axlerA, and. on further elevation of the rack bar 12 the axle box '13 israised so as to relieve the wheel W and its axle A of the weight of the car, after which the cover of the axle box B is lifted up orremoved and the brass resting on the upper side of the axle may be replaced without any fear of injury to the operator. lVith the construction above described the brass may be replaced on a carwithin the station or out on the rightof way and the mechanism is so simple that it maybe operated-by unskilled labor and the old method of blocking is practically eliminated.

Moreover, owing to the arrangementof the parts the device may be sufliclently light as to be carried around by one man.

Furthermore by having all the parts 10f the device detachable, a great savlng in expense is insured, since it will only be necessary to replace the part that has become damaged Or broken without sustaining the loss o replacing the device as a whole.

It will also be noted that the base-plate 1 can rest onawooden block b, as illustrated, to bring itjto the required elevation with relation tothe car wheel, or it can be provided With standards or legs, integral or otherwise, as deemed expedient. l v i It will be seen that the device is exceedingly simple and inexpensive in construction, that it is adapted tobe readily employed with an ordinary lifting jack, and

that it is capable offirmly gripping and holding a wheel while the car is being jacked up for removing the journal bearing or brass. Furthermore, it will be clear that the device is adjustable to engage all kinds and sizes of railroad-car wheels having various rims or treads.

Various slight changes might be resorted to in the general form and arrangement of the several parts described without departing from the spirit and scope of my invens tion,.and hence I would have it understood that I do not limit myself to the precise de-,

my invention,

verted U-shaped housing detachably connected to said plate and provided with pairs of alined apertures, .a clamp bar having one of its ends pivotally mounted within the housing and providedat its other ends With means to grip a wheel ball, and a pin adapted to be inserted into said apertures 1 V for bridging the interior of the housingand limiting the swinging movement of the bar upwardly.

.2. A wheel clamp of the kind defined claim 1 in which the housing isprovided with oppositely extending base fianges which.

are 'detachably securedto the base plate, and in which the bar is detachably connected to the housing. 1 i f In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the'presence of two witnesses.

oLon)" E. RoDGERs. a 3.]

lVitnesses: I H. N. CALDWELL,

,J, M MoKnvsnx. 

